Children of Fire (Complete)

sixty-three

Emerson

"...will you marry me?"

The words echoed in my mind for a few moments, bouncing from one side to the other. Taunting me. Nobody had ever openly professed their love for me like this, in front of all the people they cared about, in front of their family. And not just their family by blood or DNA, but their chosen family. The people that they chose to protect forever, the people that they had hand picked to sit at their table and share their life with. I felt a tear drip down onto my hand and realized I was sitting here silently, not giving him an answer. I didn't want him to think I had to ponder on my answer, because I knew what the answer was before he even asked the question.

"Abso-fucking-lutely." I said with a big smile, practically lunging out of my seat to wrap him up in an embrace. There was a deafening roar of cheers and clapping that had broken out around us, and I couldn't help but let the tears fall freely now. I was exactly where I needed to be, surrounded by the people who mattered most. I couldn't think of a time where I was happier, and I didn't know if there would ever come a day where I could rival this happiness with anything else. Gideon was my future, my present, and the absolute best thing to ever happen to me-- and I would never let him go.

"I was starting to get worried for a minute." He breathed into my ear, the vibrations from his throaty laugh sent shivers down my spine. I gripped his face in my hands and kissed him passionately, smiling while I did so. He rested his forehead against mine and looked at me with so much love and adoration as he slid the ring onto my finger. I glanced down at it and felt my jaw drop to the floor, and more tears well up in my eyes. It was absolutely perfect, and the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It had a giant moonstone in the middle, just like the ring my mother had given me, and surrounding the large oblong shaped moonstone were tinier diamonds that shown brightly when the light hit it at any angle. The band was rose gold, and it was like Gideon had it personally made for me. I wiped the tears away and met his eyes once more, tears shimmering in his own amber eyes.

"I love it." I whispered, planting kisses on his face once more.

"I hoped you would. Now come on, let's eat. I know they're hungry. And I'm hungry for you." He growled, helping me to my feet and pulling my chair out for me. I took a seat and allowed him to push the chair under the table. Killian, who was sitting across from me, clapped Gideon on the back and congratulated him before reaching across the table to take my hands delicately in his own.

"I'm really happy for you, Em. You deserve this." He said, and I could tell that he really meant it. He wanted me to be happy, and I was glad he was finally able to come to terms with it. I squeezed his hands firmly and couldn't help but smile at him. It would take a lot to wipe this goofy grin off my face tonight.

The rest of the evening was spent laughing and talking with everyone. Every member of the club had congratulated us. The old ladies were cackling like hens about wedding plans and Aggie was beyond thrilled to start getting everything together. At one point, she had even brought up grandkids and how excited she was to become a grandmother. Sure, I wanted kids. But I also wanted to enjoy my engagement and marriage to Gideon before kids were involved. We had just started our lives together, I wanted it to be all about each other for now.

Finally, 10pm rolled around and the air in the clubhouse grew heavy. Gideon's watch beeped on his wrist, and I knew it was time to say goodbye to my biker. My heart churned in my chest and I had an anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. He looked down at me, a hint of sadness in his eyes, and kissed the tip of my nose softly. "It's time, baby. We gotta go in a minute."

"I know..." I said, my voice was low and I had to tell myself to remain strong. I wouldn't let him see me cry, I had to be strong for him, for the club. I had to set an example for the other old ladies, that we would remain strong for our men and lead this club in the right direction, no matter what would transpire tonight. I had to be strong for the children that were lounging around sleepily, some wrapped in blankets and stretched out on couches and booth seats. Now that it was official, that I would be Gideon's wife, I had a reputation to uphold, and I would be the best old lady this club had ever seen. I would remain fierce, loyal, and strong when all I wanted to do was hide and break down in the absence of my husband-to-be.